


A Victim of Circumstance

by anakien



Series: Overcoming [2]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AU, Alpha Near, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Matt, Episode 30: Justice, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, No Romance, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Mello, Omega!Mello, Wammy's Era, Wammy's House (Death Note)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25852783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anakien/pseuds/anakien
Summary: Being an omega is only something that tries to hold Mello back, but he won’t let it stop him. (ABO AU)
Relationships: Matt | Mail Jeevas & Mello | Mihael Keehl, Mello | Mihael Keehl & Near | Nate River
Series: Overcoming [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875943
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	A Victim of Circumstance

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Here's another fic. This is set in the same world as my other A/B/O story, "Alone (With You)," but it's not a sequel or anything. That one was from Light's POV, this one from Mello's. I just wanted to do the same thing I did to Light's motivations to Mello's side of the story.
> 
> Some of the dialogue in this story come from episode 30: Justice. I used English subtitles to get the dialogue, so if any dialogue sounds off from the show's dub of the Mello & Near confrontation, that's why.
> 
> Italics are thoughts. Also, just a heads up - there’s no sex in this (just like my last ABO story). 
> 
> Song title comes from "My Life" by Billy Joel, which is a Mello song for me. I don't own the song or anything DN related. 
> 
> Enjoy.

For lack of a better option, the one word Mello can choose to describe himself with is bitter.

For his whole life he's been bitter about one thing or another: his parents' deaths, his childhood at Wammy's, the fact that he always comes in second to Near. And hell, even his fucking subgender is something he hates about himself.

His whole life. Every significant memory, every significant part of _him_.

Good fucking riddance.

* * *

Even from his fuzzy early childhood memories, he remembers never quite being happy. It makes sense, after all. When he first arrived, his parents had only recently died, and at six years old it's hard to process, even for a child genius such as himself (yes, boasting intended).

He remembers lashing out at Roger the first few times he spoke to him, kicking and screaming, all equal parts scared, tired, and upset. He remembers breaking a vase in the front hallway because he wanted his mom back and nobody was answering any of his questions about when he could go back home. He remembers how the other children avoided him at first, too, until he promptly kicked another team's ass at kickball during one of their required physical activity lessons. After that it's a little easier. He makes friends, like Matt, but he still misses his parents. Roger makes him talk to a therapist a few times, but the shrink just wants him to color pictures and play with dolls, and Mello fights back about going until Roger just gives up on him.

That's only the first time Roger gives up on him; it becomes a steady occurrence in their relationship after that.

When he is eight, a new child is brought to live at Wammy's. His first impression of Near is that if he blew too hard in this kid's direction, the kid would fall over. Tiny and frail, in plain white clothes. A weakling. One day, an omega.

Nothing like Mello. Mello, who's loud and likes to actually play ball outside with his friends. The other kids expect him to be an alpha, and Mello likes the sound of that, because he likes being in control and being captain of the kickball team, and their teachers only let the strong kids do that. And everyone knows that the alphas are the strong ones. Alphas like L.

It's only in the classroom where Mello starts to take notice of Near. They're all kid geniuses at Wammy's, but usually Mello and Matt are at the top of the grades. Until Near.

The teachers start to praise Near constantly, and some twisty feeling in his stomach makes Mello feel like he's going to be sick. Matt doesn't care, but Mello does. He cares a lot.

He works harder, actually putting in more effort to study and read their books and practice problems, but no matter how hard he tries, he is still second to Near.

He starts to hate Near.

These feelings do not change, even as they grow older. If anything, they only make Mello angrier. He's definitely aware now that the sick feeling in his stomach is jealousy, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't quite beat Near.

* * *

Puberty is hellish.

Mello shoots up in height, and the girls definitely seem to like him (actually, that's the one good thing about puberty). Near still looks like he did when he first arrived at Wammy's. It's one thing Mello can be proud of, the fact that he's going to be the best someday when compared to Near. He just has to wait until he presents. He holds these feelings close to his chest.

When he turns twelve, his peers start to present their subgenders. Most of them aren't surprising. Linda presents as an omega, but she's always been a quiet girl. Matt's a beta, which he seemed to have expected and didn't seem to care one way or another.

Mello still doesn't doubt that he will be an alpha. He'll present any day now. Usually, alphas present first, then betas, and omegas last of all. But if he presents a little later, that's still okay; his plans won't be too thrown off. He's not too worried. He can wait patiently enough.

Part of this is why it's such a shock when Near presents, and as an alpha, no less. All of the kids whisper about it behind his back, in the first couple of days when he's gone and even when he gets back. He really doesn't seem to care, either. Near has always ignored the rumors about him, and these are no different.

When he comes back to class, Mello studies him from his usual seat two rows back. He still looks the same - frail, weak, and too small for his own good. Who knows? Maybe there was a mistake somewhere.

Mello feels the same familiar stirs of jealousy deep in his belly, but it's no matter. Hell, if that twerp is an alpha, there really is no doubt what Mello will be when his body takes the hint and finally catches up.

* * *

One morning soon after he turns thirteen, he wakes up in a cold sweat, complete with the shakes and a queasy feeling in his stomach.

He sits up and nearly hurls with the rush of nausea that follows, and Matt throws a pillow at him and tells him to go to the infirmary.

"Hey asshole, are you not going to help me?" Mello croaks at Matt. It's even a struggle to just get dressed, and Mello drapes his blanket over his shoulders, still shivering from the cold.

Matt doesn't look up from his handheld console, and Mello knows the answer to that. He flicks Matt off as he leaves their room. Matt pointedly ignores him.

It's still early in the morning, so the hallways are thankfully empty. Mello knows he doesn't want anyone to see him like this. He probably looks pathetic, all shaky and sweaty and wrapped up in a blanket.

He's so wrapped up in trying not to puke all over the hallway that at first he doesn't even notice Near sitting near the entrance to the library, waiting for it to open.

"Hello," Near says neutrally, and Mello jerks his heads towards him. "Does Mello not feel well this morning?"

"What do you think, asshole?" Mello snaps. He regrets jerking his head so quickly - another wave of nausea rolls over him at his movements. The saliva in his mouth pools, and Mello presses the back of his hand over his nose and mouth to will down his stomach. Something smells different about Near this morning, and Mello feels his stomach roll again.

Near sets down the action figure he's holding and actually focuses on Mello. His gaze is intense, and Mello wishes he could run away. "Omega," Near says finally, and then turns back to his toy.

Mello's stomach drops. "What?" he croaks.

"You're presenting," Near says. His facial expression remains neutral, though his nose twitches. "I can smell it."

"What the hell? You're wrong!" Mello spits. Near blinks at him but doesn't say another word, merely looks back at him. "I will never be an omega," Mello sneers. He absently notices his blanket fall off his shoulders onto the floor, but he's too busy yelling and swaying to pick it up. The last thing Mello remembers before it all goes black is his vision swirling around him, and Near moving closer to him.

* * *

When Mello wakes up, he's in the infirmary, alone in a small room with padded walls and a heavy metal door. He sits up, stomach no longer queasy, but he's still sweating and desperately feels tingly all over. His blanket is folded neatly next to him. He doesn't remember how he got here.

The lock on the door makes a loud clicking sound, and in walks the resident nurse. Mello recognizes her; when he broke his wrist climbing a tree as a kid, she's the one who fixed it up. She smiles at him and then pulls up her mask so it covers her nose.

"Hi, Mello," she says. "I'm glad you're awake now. How are you feeling?"

"Weird," he says. He twists the bottom of his shirt in his hands, and Near's words swirl in his mind. He hesitates before his next question. "Am I sick?"

The nurse laughs a little. "No, but you are presenting. You'll want to stay here for the next couple of days until it passes, and then we can discuss a future plan regarding suppressants. Oh, and don't worry, I've already reached out to your teachers and explained your absence in class."

He can feel strange stirrings in his belly, and his whole body feels clammy and damp. He makes a face, and the nurse watches him closely.

"It's a good thing Near brought you in when he did," she says, still looking at him closely. "You're still in the pre-heat phase right now. Over the next couple of hours you'll definitely slide into the true heat."

Mello's brain skitters to a halt again. He chooses to ignore what she said about Near bringing him in. "Heat?" he whispers.

"You are presenting as an omega," the nurse says. "I can smell it. Your scent is changing - it's becoming sweeter than it was." She leans in conspiratorially. "Don't worry, I'm an omega, too."

"No!" Mello yells, feeling his heart in his throat. "This can't be right! I'm gonna be an alpha, not a miserable omega!"

The nurse shakes her head, but doesn't look too upset. She must be used to this sort of thing by now. "I'm sorry, Mello. I took a look at your file when you arrived. Admittedly, it comes as a bit of a shock, but you shouldn't worry about it. There's nothing wrong with being an omega."

"You don't understand," Mello pleads, "I can't be an omega! I have to be an alpha - I have to beat him! Please, can't you do something?!"

The nurse shakes her head, but the roaring in Mello's ears makes him unable to hear what she has to say next. It sounds like she's underwater, and he stares at her uncomprehendingly. He rakes his hands through his hair, feeling hot tears swell in his eyes.

The nurse takes a step closer, one hand outstretched, but Mello throws his pillow at her and scoots back in the bed. "Go away!" he yells. He flips on his side, putting his back to her. He hears her sigh and silently walk out, locking the door behind her.

When she leaves, he lets the tears flow. _This isn't fucking fair,_ he thinks. _It shouldn't be me._

* * *

The nurse returns several hours later, once Mello's tears have long since dried and his body feels a lot... different. Needier. It's uncomfortable, and he tries not to think about it.

"Here, Mello," she says, unfolding a small tray table and setting a plate of bread and vegetables on it. "You'll want to eat, keep your strength up."

Mello's stomach feels woolen, but he grabs the roll off the plate and forces himself to take a bite. It doesn't taste like anything, and when he swallows it sticks like a lump in his throat.

"I'm also bringing some things you might want during the heat," the nurse says. She sets an unassuming brown box on the end of his bed. Mello has a guess of what's in there, and he flushes, equal parts angry and embarrassed.

He turns his head to the side, refusing to meet her eyes.

She sighs. "Mello, I promise you. This isn't the end of the world."

He doesn't say anything, and she sighs again.

"I'll bring you your meals everyday. The bathroom is behind that door. It's only yours - nobody else will be using this. The door is locked for your protection, though these rooms are specially isolated behind the infirmary. You don't have to worry about anybody breaking in."

Mello turns to look at her in horror after her words. Someone breaking in to get to him was never something he'd considered before, and a chill runs down his spine.

She assures him he doesn't have to worry, reminds him to eat again, and leaves him alone. This time, when she locks the door, it seems to echo in his ears.

* * *

Several days pass. Mello is lucid for parts... and not-so lucid for the rest. He wakes on the fifth morning, and the fogginess in his brain is finally gone. There's a disgusting sugar-sweet smell all over him, so he goes to the bathroom and scrubs his skin until it turns pink, trying to strip the omega from him.

It doesn't work.

When he's done, he bangs on the door until the nurse comes and lets him out. He sits through her lesson on suppressants - does he want them in the first place? In the pill, injection, or implant form? Is he aware of the side effects of them, especially for long-term use? - and decides to take the implant, the most permanent one. She warns him if he uses it for long enough, his scent may even dull, and there may be long-term fertility issues. Yeah, as if he cares about that. Not.

He leaves the infirmary a changed man. On his way back to his and Matt's room, he can't help but be aware of the whispers of the other kids as he passes them. They all seem to be eyeing him as he passes, and he even catches a few scenting the air. He knows what they're talking about, and he flushes red with anger and shame.

When he gets back to the room, he is horrified to find all of his stuff neatly packed in boxes. Matt shoots up from his bed when he opens the door.

"Mello!" he says, tone relieved.

"What the fuck's going on?"

"They're wanting to move you," Matt says, game forgotten as he runs to stand in front of Mello. "Trying to move you to another omega's room. Away from the alphas and betas. Don't want the liability of you being with me." Matt's face is red when he says that, and there's an annoyed glint in his eyes. "I tried to tell them that we've lived together since we were kids, but they still want to move you."

Mello curses and slams his fist in the doorway. The pain grounds him for a moment.

Matt smiles sheepishly. "I guess I never even asked to see if you wanted to stay. I just assumed-"

"Of course I want to stay," Mello snaps. "This is _my_ room. I've been here for seven years. I'm sure as hell not moving." He groans and slaps a hand on his forehead. "I'm going to go handle this."

He stomps to Roger's office and promptly barges in, making him jump. He ignores the fact that the doors were shut, a sign that he was busy. He misses the open laptop on Roger's desk with the blank screen and flashing red camera. He even misses the way Roger tries to calm him down before he yells. It doesn't work.

He gives Roger a piece of his mind. Pissed at the other kids, at the world, and hell, even at his own body for betraying him, he doesn't hold anything back. He yells that they touched his things without permission. He yells that they're invalidating him, and if Matt hasn't been a danger since he presented, why would they assume that of him now. He even yells that now all of his business and personal health information is spread all over Wammy's. He yells until he's out of breath, chest heaving and face burning.

Roger started rubbing his temple about halfway through the rant, headache throbbing already. "That's quite enough, Mello," he says wearily. "Moving you is simply for your protection."

"It's Matt we're talking about!" Mello spits. "All he does is play his dumb video games. And I haven't changed! I can still kick his ass."

Roger's lips press into a firm line, and he sighs. "I really don't have time to argue with you right now," he says, rubbing at his eyes.

Mello is so wound up that he feels like he's about to cry. "Please don't move me," he says, switching approaches. If he begs for long enough Roger will definitely give in. "I'm going on suppressants. There won't be any issue with Matt."

Roger gives him a long, weary look. "You can stay in your room. But, God forbid anything happens, if there's an issue we will be moving you and there will be nothing you can do about it. Understood?"

Mello nods, invigorated. Roger waves a hand, dismissing him, and he turns tail and leaves the office, head held high.

He misses the silence that follows between Roger and the silent watcher through the laptop.

"Well," the voice says. "Mello needs to learn to become more aware of his surroundings."

"L, he would have said all of that even if he knew you were here," Roger laments. He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Mello has never been one to keep quiet if there's an issue."

"His passion and drive is certainly unique among the successor candidates," L muses. "I worry that one day it will go to far and lead him down a path he should not follow."

There's silence in the office.

"No matter," L says. "Let's resume our discussion. As you were saying before, Roger?"

* * *

Over the weeks that follow, there is a new order of behavior. He is not the only male omega, but even so he is treated more fragilely by his peers than others. His former alpha friends begin to dismiss his opinions and ideas, both in class and in recreation. Hell, even the girls don't eye him quite like they used to.

Not everything's changed. Matt treats him the same, thankfully. Mello is still second to Near, and as he hasn't heard otherwise, Mello assumes he's still in the running to be L's successor. Even Near still treats him with the same neutral condescension as before, though Mello can't decide whether he should be pissed or grateful over.

 _All this subgender shit is stupid_ , he thinks to himself. He's still the same person as before - so why is everyone treating him so differently? It seems like the others expect him to drop out of the succession running, like just because he presented he's suddenly not interested in that, but in settling down and babies and that sort of shit. What the fuck? Nobody asked Matt, or hell, even Near that sort of patronizing question after they presented. The double nature pisses him off.

He knows L is an alpha. That doesn't matter, and shouldn't matter to him. If anything, he wants the position more now. Still to shove it to Near, but also to show off. That he's more than just a simple, sweet omega that the others are treating him as.

He's determined that this will not stop him.

He's almost fifteen when he makes the decision to leave Wammy's. L is dead at the hands of Kira, and before his death he didn't choose between him or Near.

Roger made it very obvious who he wanted, though, and it wasn't him. Roger told him that he could 'assist' under Near. (The subtext: omega 'assists' the alpha). Even Near agreed to it.

Fuck that.

Mello goes to his room and quickly packs a bag. Matt's not in there, probably in class, but Mello knows he doesn't have time to say goodbye. He feels a little bad about it, but he knows if he wastes any more time they're going to stop him from leaving.

Still, he hesitates. Matt's practically his brother now. But he decides against it.

He leaves Wammy's with nothing more than a couple of changes of clothes, as much stolen cash as he can grab, and some chocolate he'd stashed under his bed. He walks to the nearest bus station several miles away and waits to try to hitch a ride.

He feels free, for the first time in his life, and he's almost giddy with excitement. Nobody can tell him what to do anymore; he can do anything he wants now. He's on top of the world.

* * *

As it turns out, being alone is a lot harder than he thought. His money runs out quickly, and his chocolate even faster. And it's dangerous, being an omega on the streets. Even with his suppressant blocking most of his scent, disgusting old men keep trying to paw at him. Fucking perverts.

He heads from Winchester to London and ends up on some of the seedier backstreets for a while, sleeping underneath dumpsters when he fits. He steals food from garbage cans and even grocery stores when he feels up for it. He pickpockets tourists and anyone looking stupid enough to fall for his poor, helpless omega act. He tries to stay active, because there's plenty of homeless people begging on the streets, and he knows he doesn't want to do that. Some nights, he spends a couple of days in shelters specifically for homeless omegas. With all of this, he tries to come up with a plan.

He ends up meeting a drug dealer and becomes a runner for a while. But Mello's smart, and the dealer knows this and slowly builds him up to be part of the business plan. He sleeps in a ratty apartment, but hell, at least it's got a roof, and the dealer lets him keep a portion of the money so he can pay for food.

The dealer's got connections, though. And somehow, things fit together for Mello to use those to ship out to America, where he joins the mafia as a low-ranking thug.

Now that he's got money, he prepares. He buys scent-masking deodorant and spray, he dresses punk and alternative - the complete opposite of the traditional omega, and he gets a new suppressant implant that will prevent heats for another three or so years. He hasn't had a heat since he first presented, and he's been on suppressants now for so long that his scent has almost dulled to that of a beta's, but he's meticulous and careful in applying everything daily. He sees how some of the omega bitches have been treated, and he wants no part of that.

The mafia here works differently than he expected. Only the head and top men are alphas. All of the mid-level thugs are betas, which is what really surprised him. His new boss tells him that it's primarily to prevent alpha in-fighting. Mello doesn't really care; this works perfectly in his favor as a fake beta.

One thing is as expected: there are no omega in positions of leadership.

Mello works his way up the ladder. He's smart, aggressive, tactical (so he's thankful for at least some of his Wammy's education), and he's creative and likable enough to be put in charge of his own team to carry out missions. Another thing that definitely helps is his knowledge on Kira and the notebook of death L's final recorded message talked about.

Of course, nobody believes him when he talks about it. Hell, even some of the regular prostitutes that stay with them eye him like he's crazy when he walks by.

But he comes up with his plans regardless. He's not a moron; he's heard the recent stories about L's cases and the lack of progress on the Kira case. He, Roger, and Near must be some of the only ones to know that their L had died. It would make sense for Kira to be the one to have killed him and then taken his place. That's who he's gotta go after.

He's also not willing to sit on his ass any longer - he gets one of his men to track down the list of the names of the men on the original Japanese Kira investigation task force. He reviews their police, stalks their presence online. Chief Soichiro Yagami has been on the case since the beginning, as have a handful of other people.

He's likely not Kira. He doesn't fit the Kira profile. But his son Light Yagami does. Light's file says that his designation is an omega, and something sparks in recognition in Mello's mind. Mello recognizes the same power-hungry look in Light's eyes that he has seen in his reflection ever since he presented.

He first kidnaps the police director, and Kira kills him off with no hesitation.

No matter. Mello is nothing if not ingenious.

He makes plans to kidnap the other Yagami kid, the beta daughter Sayu. And in fact, it's almost _too_ easy to do so. His men snatch her just walking home from cram school late one evening. It's just as easy to smuggle her back into the United States.

He knows that twerp Near is probably going to help this fake L, but he plans for that as well. With their underground bunker, no satellites can see their activity, and they're so isolated in the desert they'll be hard to find. He knows Near won't bother to get off his ass for this case, so cutting off his view from any satellites or drones is ridiculously satisfying.

He makes the call, the task force comes to America. Blah blah blah, the missile goes off, Chief Yagami makes the trade of the notebook for his daughter, and Mello is riding high with the success of this mission.

It's a giant fuck you to both Kira and Near, and he couldn't be happier.

The notebook is not what he was expecting. Small, unassuming, and with a ridiculous amount of rules attached to it. And then the shinigami shows up, and he nearly shits himself at the sight. The only good thing about that is they learn two of the rules are fake, specifically the thirteen day rule.

But it also gives Mello some cause for concern. As much as Mello hates to admit it, if he can deduce that Kira is the current L, then so can Near. And if Near really was working with Kira on this latest mission, then he can assume that Kira will somehow learn more about him and the whole successor plot. Kira wouldn't give up his notebook unless he has another. Why would he give up his power?

Even if Kira learns about him, he can't do anything about it unless he learns his name. Right? And if he gets a picture.

Mello feels his stomach drop out with the thought of that. There's only one picture of him at Wammy's. He can't go get it, but he bets Near will. Ugh.

And then it all goes to shit.

Every member of his team but him is killed, Soichiro Yagami somehow learns his fucking name just from looking at him, and when he blows up the base he burns his face and left side of his body so badly he is out of commission for almost two weeks. He can't go to the hospital because there's too big of a target on his head now, so he is stuck in an abandoned storefront until he heals enough where he can stand without passing out from the pain.

It's only towards the end of those first few weeks when he realizes the sickly sweet scent he's been smelling is his. His scent is coming back, likely from his suppressant beginning to fail and the lack of his odor-suppressing body wash. It scares him, because he can't defend himself in this condition, and if he can smell himself then every shitty alpha out there can too.

He grits his teeth and forces himself to start moving locations. Now that he's alone, he knows he needs to call in back up. He phones Matt, who promptly yells at him for contacting him now after so many years of silence. But Matt's never one to stay mad for long, so when Mello asks, he agrees to fly out and help his crusade.

While he's waiting on Matt's flight in, he figures he can finally go face Near. He trails the blonde FBI agent, breaks into her apartment, points a gun at her, and then forces her to take him to the SPK headquarters.

She snarks at him, feisty for a beta (though, Mello really can't say anything, because he's even more feisty for an omega), but she goes silent when he presses the gun to her temple.

He keeps the gun to her head as they arrive to SPK headquarters, and he knows Near is well aware of his presence. The lack of security and easy access into the building shows that. He yanks down on the hood of his coat, stolen to cover his scars, and glares into one of the cameras. The elevator at the end of the hall dings, and he walks them over to ride up.

"They're on the top floor," Lidner murmurs, pressing the button for the top floor. Her hands are steady. They ride the rest of the way up in silence.

The elevator doors open to reveal a wide, white room. Two agents point guns at him, and Mello sees the corners of Lidner's mouth tip up into a smile. The far wall is covered in screens, all showing various access points. Mello smirks; that means Near saw his little message.

Speaking of that little twit, Near is crouched on the floor. A train set moves around him, and Mello sneers at the sight. Some things never change.

He comes to a stop a few feet from Near, not relaxing his arm with the gun.

"Welcome, Mello," Near says. He doesn't look up to even face him, and that irritates Mello more than he lets on.

"Put down your gun!" A male blonde agent spits at him. Mello narrows his eyes and scents the air. His eyes flit over the other agents in the room: there's one beta, Lidner; two alphas, Near and this guy; and one other omega, a dark haired man with bright blue eyes. Interesting.

Mello presses the gun even more against Lidner's temple, and the other agents shift, lifting their guns to aim at his head.

"Everyone, please put down your guns," Near says calmly, still not looking up. "It is meaningless for us to shed blood here."

Mello curls his lip.

"But Mello killed the others!" One of the agents protest.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Near says, an edge to his voice that wasn't there before.

There's the alpha in him. Mello's never seen it before, and it's freaky as hell to see. A small, weak part of his mind tells him to listen, but Mello is stubborn as hell and has had many years of practice of not listening to bossy alphas in the mafia. Still, he holds his position.

"Our goal is to catch Kira." Near looks up and meets Mello's gaze. "Right now, killing Mello will not benefit us."

The blonde agent hesitates another moment and lowers his gun. The others follow, and even Mello finally lowers his gun from Lidner's head. With his other hand, he yanks his hood down.

Near rakes his gaze over Mello's face, lingering on his scarred eye, but he doesn't comment.

"Have things gone as you planned, Near?" Mello asks, sarcasm dripping from every word. He's uncomfortable by the appraising look on Near's face and all the attention on his burns.

"Yes. You've heard from Lidner, haven't you?" Near says drily. "About the second L? I've pretty much figured out who Kira is, because of everything you've done."

This pisses Mello off, because he figured it all out first, and now he's not going to get any damn credit. He grits his teeth and points his gun back at Near. "Near!"

There's a couple of shocked noises, and the agents all point their guns at him again.

"I'm not a tool for you to use to solve the puzzle," Mello spits.

Near doesn't say anything for a moment, then he resumes back to playing with his train, dismissing him. "Mello, shoot me if you want."

Mello feels his hand start to shake, and he clenches his jaw even more, vision blurring.

"Mello! If you shoot Near, we'll have no choice but to shoot you." Lidner blocks his view of Near, voice low. She puts her hand on his gun and slowly points it down. "What'll happen if you both die? It would make Kira happy."

She's right, though he hates to admit it.

He lowers his gun again and sneers. "That's true."

The agents lower their own guns again, breathing twin sighs of relief.

 _Back to business_. "Near, I just came to get the photograph you have of me."

Near rummages around in his shirt and pulls something out of the top of his pajamas. "Yes, this is the photograph. There's only one, no copies. I've already dealt with everyone who knows your face, at Wammy's House and elsewhere."

He holds it outstretched between his fingers and throws it like a shuriken. Mello snags it in the air and looks down at himself for a second. He remembers having the picture taken. He was seven, and was still at the top of the class, and it was before Near had come in and ruined everything. Long before subgenders mattered. Even longer before Kira came in and starting wrecking havoc.

Near continues, interrupting his train of thoughts. "I can't say I'm a hundred percent sure, but it's safe to say that you won't be killed by the notebook."

On a whim, Mello flips the photo over. _Dear Mello_ is written in Neat's tiny script on the back. Mello narrows his eyes. _What the fuck is that supposed to mean?_

When Mello looks up, Near's gaze is back on him. "Is that all, Mello?"

Mello narrows his eyes again. He doesn't look expectant for anything, but Mello still feels like he's being treated like a charity case. He makes a split decision. "Near. I have no intention of working with you."

"I know."

"But it would upset me to receive this picture without giving anything in return."

Near looks up sharply.

"The killer notebook, it's a Shinigami's notebook. Whoever touches it is able to see the Shinigami."

"That's crazy!" The blonde agent says.

"Who would believe that?" The other scoffs.

"I believe him." The agents look towards Near, still protesting. "What good would it do for Mello to tell a lie like that? He would at least tell a better lie or something that has some truth to it. Therefore, Shinigami really exist."

"The notebook I had was one that belonged to someone who wasn't a Shinigami. Also, there were fake rules hidden among the rules written in it."

Near immediately turns towards him at that.

"That's all I can tell you." He turns and heads to the door. He hesitates and pauses, thinking of one last thing to say.

"Near," Mello says. He fumbles in his coat pocket for his half-eaten chocolate bar and bites off a chunk with his teeth.

"Mello."

"Which of us is going to get Kira first?"

"The race is on." Though Mello's not facing Near, he can still hear the smile in Near's voice.

"Our destination is the same. I'll be waiting for you."

"Alright, Near says, and Mello continues walking. Right when he's about to press the elevator button again, Near adds, "And Mello? You should really do something about your suppressants. You stink."

Mello flushes red instantly, equal parts angry and embarrassed. He can feel the heat creep down his neck. Near didn't sound particularly hateful. If anything, he just sounded bored, like he was only saying it for a favor. But still, of course Near has to have the last word. The little shit thinks he can embarrass him just like that?

Mello doesn't respond, but he lifts his chin up high and stomps further down the hall. Fuck waiting for the elevator, he can just take the stairs.

* * *

He and Matt finally meet up again after so many years. Matt comes at him like he's going to swing a fist at his face, but comes to an abrupt stop when he sees the burn. Instead, Matt pulls him into a rib-crushing hug.

They crash one of the empty apartments the mafia has set aside for visitors. It's dirty and cramped, but Matt doesn't complain. They painstakingly go collect the guns hidden in the walls and floor, and Mello cleans them while Matt disappears for a few hours.

When Matt comes back, he presents a first aid kit stocked with burn ointment, a bag of chocolate bars, some odor-suppressing body wash, and several packs of cigarettes. Mello takes the soap with a grunt, but Matt doesn't say anything else on the subject as he helps tend to the burns on Mello's face and shoulder.

Then they come up with the plan. Mello tells Matt everything he's learned and done over the course of the last few years, including his latest meeting with Near. Matt points out that at this point, if Near knows who Kira is, it won't be long before the SPK attempts to apprehend him, and they need to move fast if they want to block him.

They plan to kidnap Kira's spokesperson, some shitty news reporter named Kiyomi Takada. Matt will pretend to kidnap her. Mello will ride up on a bike and offer to help her. Lidner, her body guard according to the trap news reports set for Kira, will more than likely agree and send Takada off with him, knowing his relationship to Near. They'll take her to an undisclosed location and lure both Kira and Near out. Foolproof.

* * *

The plan went to shit, which is usual for him. Mello grabbed Takada, but he can't get in contact with Matt anymore. So, he's stuck with this whimpering woman in the back of a truck to transport her.

He forces her to strip, so he can ditch her clothes and hopefully get rid of an tracking bugs planted on her. She cries, and asks him if she can cover herself with a blanket.

He can smell that she's another omega, but with his new suppressant body wash she must think he's a beta. He's not an absolute terror of a kidnapper, after all, and he doesn't really want to see her naked, so he lets her keep some of her dignity and use the blanket.

When she's done, he takes the clothes and brings them with him to the drivers seat, setting them down next to him. He tries to call Matt again, but there's still no response. That's still concerning, but he doesn't have time to wait with her in the back, so he takes off for the rendezvous point, an abandoned church only about twenty miles outside of the city.

On his way, he throws out both Takada's clothes and his phone to prevent the police from tracking him.

When he arrives to the church, he waits and looks around. Still no sign of Matt, which worries him. He puts on the emergency break and swings over to look through the window into the back of the truck.

What to do, what to do?

He slips back down in his chair. They planned that Takada's guards would capture Matt. That was the whole point of his distraction. Still, Matt said to wait for him for a few on the off-chance he made it out.

Mello decides to sit and wait a few more minutes. If Matt doesn't show up, he can handle matters with the girl himself.

There's suddenly an odd jolting feeling in his chest, and he cries out and clutches himself in shock. "What the fuck?" he says to himself, and then his heart jolts again.

In one earth-shattering moment, he knows exactly what this means. He hadn't seen any piece of paper hidden on her, but she was the only one who could've seen his face. Yagami must have told her his name. Fuck.

He slides down further in his seat, groaning in pain, but there's nothing he can do about it now. He threw his phone out the window, there's no way he can contact anyone. He knows he only has less than forty seconds left, and he can't help some of his last panting breaths.

This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go. He was supposed to win, damnit, and find Kira, and prove that Roger and all of the other damn people at Wammy's were wrong about him.

His vision starts to black out, and his last horrifying thoughts are that only one more person can finally crush Kira.

Damn alpha will get all the credit for his work. Fucking Near.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m satisfied with this piece. (I really like some of the scenes - like Near and Mello in the hallway, and Mello in the infirmary), but I’m afraid the rest of it reads more like a headcanon list then a cohesive story. I know there’s also not quite as much focus on the ABO stuff in this story versus the other in the series. (Nor is the ending to Mello’s story quite as happy as Light’s, haha). I may come back and do some edits on it. 
> 
> Please R&R! (Constructive criticism is welcome). I'd like to know what you all think, or if there's any other characters I should do next in this AU.


End file.
